When chef Alex Capasso decided to move Blackbird from Collingswood to Philadelphia, he filled the space with Benny’s Burger Joint.

When Phillips Seafood sought a change of taste at its Seafood Express take-out on the Atlantic City boardwalk, the owners created Empire Burger.

These two menu shifts were not a coincidence. In both situations, the restaurant heads saw which way the culinary winds blew.

The burger is king of the table these days.

“I was experimenting with West Side Gravy – another Capasso Collingswood eatery since closed to make way for Benny’s — testing the market and burgers were the highest selling dish. Customers were receptive to different kinds of burgers. That’s what they were looking for, so we made the switch,” Capasso said.

Said Michelle Torres, corporate director of marketing for Baltimore-based Phillips Seafood: “Our owner is a visionary and in his mind, the burger segment is hot. It’s also better fit for the boardwalk style of eating.”

Fries with that?

The trend doesn’t just apply to individual restaurants, but to chains large and small with a single place in South Jersey.

Places like Red Robin and Famous Dave’s have been around for years with burgers as mainstay on the menu, with Red Robin soon opening another location in Cherry Hill.

And popular eateries like the Silver Diner in Cherry Hill and the Pour House in Westmont attract high marks for their burgers.

South Jersey food critic Ed Hitzel counted 20 new burger places in South and Central Jersey in recent months.

“At least that many,” he said. “First of all, burgers are lower priced than most entrees. The public is looking for less cost. It’s the economy. They’re also looking for delicious. It seems to be working,” said Hitzel, a magazine publisher and radio talk show host.

“I’ve never seen lines like that. But the burgers are outstanding,” he said.

Bobby’s Burger Palace mirrors other gourmet burger shops, but has the iconic touch of Iron Chef Bobby Flay. His company opened its initial foray into South Jersey a few years ago at the Cherry Hill Mall, where they serve up such burgers as the Dallas, with crusted spices, coleslaw, cheese, BBQ sauce and pickles, and the Santa Fe, which features queso sauce, pickled jalapeno and blue corn chips.

Meanwhile, it’s so far so good, Capasso said of the introduction of Benny’s Burger Joint onto the crowded Haddon Avenue dining scene. “I’m not really surprised. The burger is an iconic American dish regardless of season or time of day or the economy.”

Among the close to two dozen burger choices, Benny’s menu features turkey, chicken and veggie burgers, as well as the more traditional beef.

Topping things off

As with most gourmet burgers, it’s what goes on top that makes the difference. Benny’s offers more than a dozen choices of add-ons or lets folks build their own. “The key is sauces and toppings,” Capasso said.

Amen, Torres added. Empire Burger has a choice of 18 toppings and also allows customers to build their own 7-ounce burger, she said.

Meanwhile, Burger 21 in Voorhees has up to four toppings on each burger. For instance, The Shroom carries lettuce, tomato, crimini mushrooms, onions, fontina cheese on a toasted brioche bun. The Tex-Mex Haystack features lettuce, tomato, Applewood-smoked bacon, Gouda, guacamole, onion strings, chipotle-jalapeño sauce all on the bun.

The restaurant serves various versions of the classic burger, such as the chicken parmesan burger and seafood burgers.

And big is not necessarily better.

“It’s a cool concept. We have 21 burgers on the menu. Only six of them are big in size,” said Alex Urbieta, general manager of Burger 21 in the Town Center in Voorhees, the company’s first in New Jersey. A new special appears the 21st of every month, Urbieta said.

Quality counts

Mark Chrupcala, for one, says there’s more than toppings at play. General manager of Zinburger in Cherry Hill at Garden State Park, Chrupcala credits the preparation and quality of the food for the eatery’s popularity.

Zinburger uses 100 percent Angus and Kobe beef and makes everything from scratch each day except for the sweet potato fries and ice cream.

“And we’re all making burgers better and better,” he said, explaining why so many burger places keep opening up.

What also separates Zinburger from everyone else is the selection of wines, he says. “We serve 23 different bottles of reds and whites,” said Chrupcala, whose restaurant opened in March.

“Five Guys started it all,” Hitzel said of the burger revolution in the area.

Opened in 1986, there are now more than 1,000 locations nationwide and more than 1,500 in development.

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